Off With Her Head; Insider Scoops with the Rebellious and Uncompromising Sam McAlister | S4 Special Episode

Sam McAlister is a British journalist, producer, and author best known for her work as the interview booker for BBC Newsnight. Over more than a decade at the BBC, she secured many of the programme’s most high-profile and challenging interviews, including the landmark 2019 interview with Prince Andrew about his association with Jeffrey Epstein.

A former criminal defence barrister, McAlister moved into journalism with a talent for negotiation, persistence, and building trust with hard-to-reach guests. Her memoir, Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews, published in 2022, gives a candid account of her experiences securing exclusive interviews and navigating the pressures of broadcast journalism.

Today, she works as a speaker, consultant, and media strategist, sharing her insight into journalism, negotiation, and crisis communication.

Key points of the episode:

• How she got the man "Formerly Known As Prince Andrew" onto the Newsnight interview that started somewhat of a chain of events....
• Where it all started, in the earliest days...
• How her original home was a very limited world.
• Her former legal background - how she loved the job, but found it professionally arduous.
• The sartorial vibe she immediately adopted after she left the bar. (and the unconventional reason why)
• The good working relationship she had with the actress Billie Piper.
• The massive career choice and dilemma she faced.
• The fascinating process of writing her book.
• Her experience with Elon Musk and Julian Assange.
• How she is an "experience billionaire"
• The acid test of the groups she chooses to associate with.
• Her insistance on professional self promotion.
• Her life now and how full of awe she is at what she gets to do.
• What she would say to the little girl (her younger self) on Guernsey.
• The most important relationship in her life.

Check out the book and Netflix series - "Scoop"